However, a lesser known program hopes to achieve similar success for musicians.

With a banjo on his knee, musician and composer Mark Bingham calls this place sacred, where musicians like Dr. John Allen Toussaint and Sneaky Pete have recorded.

“One of the things about recording is that when people are in comfortable surroundings and they feel safe, they tend to make better music,” said Bingham.

He said Louisiana hit a high note in 2005 by enacting the Sound Recording Tax Incentive Program. Unlike the filming industry tax credits, this program provides rebates to musicians, a 25 percent return on every dollar spent over $15,000.

“It’s good to have when you have a large structure and there’s a lot of things going on within a budget for a project,” he said.

Shawn Hall, owner and manager of Piety Street Recording in Bywater, said some famous musicians have taken advantage of the tax incentive program but too few know about it to receive a return on their investment.

“You don’t make an investment in Louisiana, and you get 25 percent of it back, and you do it in the form of a check,” said Hall.

It’s music to the ears of musicians looking to record in Louisiana and music lovers who just want to keep the music playing.

The program has an annual cap of $3 million. Those engaged in the recording of music, poetry or spoken word performance made in Louisiana are eligible to apply.